Chapter 710: Reverse Betrayal

## Chapter 704: Betrayal

All around, there were thumping sounds as the magma giant fought with something.

Of course, Zuju was no easy opponent either. Seizing the opportunity, it sprang from the ground in two bounds, landing less than fifty *zhang* from Second Mistress Zhu.

At this moment, Second Mistress Zhu had just evaded a thrust, and Bai Zhantian's long spear plunged into the ground. As a result, the earth within a five-*zhang* radius, centered on the spear tip, completely disintegrated.

This was a rocky mountain, honed by countless years of wind, frost, and blades, yet it was silently swallowed a full *zhang* deep!

Not an explosion, not destruction, but annihilation.

Sand, pebbles, grassroots, and bushes all instantly turned into black smoke, leaving nothing behind.

He Lingchuan felt a chill down his spine. What would be the consequence if that spear had struck a body of flesh and blood?

At the very least, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

He could also tell that Bai Zhantian's strike was very restrained, limiting its destructive radius strictly to the ground beneath Second Mistress Zhu's feet, without expanding it.

In other words, this Heavenly God hadn't used its full power at all.

He Lingchuan glanced quickly and noticed that apart from a prominent bloody hole on its back, there were also multiple lacerations on its face and hands.

These wounds were smaller and didn't look like they were inflicted by Second Mistress Zhu. Instead, with the skin turned outwards, they appeared to be burst open from within.

Each bloody gash resembled a gaping mouth.

Poor Lu Shishi, who was originally a beautiful and delicate woman, now had her skin turned inside out, wounds bleeding, and combined with her cold, sharp gaze, she looked no different from a yaksha.

Just then, another colossal creature followed close behind, surfacing from the ground.

It was indeed Chenyuan, who had arrived.

"Come!" Zuju said nothing, reaching out to grab Second Mistress Zhu.

Thankfully, it was tall with long arms, so it didn't even need to bend down to cover the fifteen-*zhang* distance.

Bai Zhantian, the Heavenly God fighting Second Mistress Zhu, thrust its spear.

The spearhead held a hint of golden light. Though it was like a mere toy compared to Zuju's massive size, if it struck, the destructive power would surely be unforgettable for Zuju.

The magma giant sensed the danger and casually hurled several volcanic rocks, faintly streaked with red, towards it. Each rock weighed tens of thousands of *jin*.

Bai Zhantian dodged two rocks and then raised its spear to burst the last one.

The magma contained within immediately erupted, but the splatter was surprisingly consistent, all directed towards Second Mistress Zhu.

But the Spider Immortal was not to be outdone. It sprayed a mouthful of web onto the magma and, with a spring from its eight legs, launched itself directly into Zuju's palm.

Despite its stout pedipalps, it possessed all the abilities of a cave spider. With its rounded body, it surprisingly felt light when it jumped.

Zuju quickly grabbed the Spider Immortal, then plunged downwards like a large fish diving into water.

The action was seamless; Bai Zhantian was surprisingly unable to interrupt it.

The colossal figure of the magma monster vanished from the surface, leaving only the ravaged forest behind.

Chenyuan opened its mouth towards Bai Zhantian. The latter frowned, unsure of its intention, when it saw Master Qingyang standing inside the creature's mouth, telling her, "Come up, we'll pursue them!"

So that was it.

Bai Zhantian also leaped into Chenyuan's gaping maw. This monster likewise burrowed into the ground.

The two passenger slots were now filled.

However, its movements were clearly less agile than Zuju's. A mountain spirit appointed by the Demon Emperor, after all, couldn't compare to one born naturally.

As Zuju traveled underground, He Lingchuan directly told Second Mistress Zhu, "Tell him to hurry to Thousand-Heart Rock, immediately!"

"Him," of course, referred to Dong Rui.

Dong Rui had said he would only wait for half an hour. Once that time passed, he would escape on his own.

However, less than a quarter-hour had passed since the operation began.

All those perilous escapes, unexpected turns, and earth-shattering events had been highly condensed into this single quarter-hour.

He Lingchuan had never felt time pass so slowly.

Dong Rui also had an eyeball spider, and if it stayed within thirty *li* of Second Mistress Zhu, they could communicate in real-time.

In other words, Second Mistress Zhu now not only shared the viewpoints of both He Lingchuan and Dong Rui but could also converse with both of them simultaneously.

Second Mistress Zhu complied.

Thousand-Heart Rock was outside the Xushan territory. Theoretically, reaching Thousand-Heart Rock meant leaving Xushan's boundaries.

He Lingchuan then asked Second Mistress Zhu, "Do you have a past grievance with Bai Zhantian?"

Second Mistress Zhu snorted, not responding.

So that meant yes.

A few breaths later, He Lingchuan's vision brightened slightly as Zuju resurfaced.

Xushan was like its backyard; it wouldn't get lost even in the most obscure corners.

"The Xushan territory ends here; I'll give you one last ride!" Zuju gave a mighty toss, flinging the Spider Immortal over a thousand *zhang* away!

He Lingchuan clung to Second Mistress Zhu's forehead, both soaring through the air, with Zuju's gleeful laughter echoing in their ears:

"Ah ha ha ha, the contract is complete, we owe each other nothing!"

He Lingchuan looked down and saw the silver bracelet on his wrist shatter into several pieces with a crack.

His agreement with Zuju was very detailed, requiring Zuju to safely transport them out of the northern part of Tianji Peak and beyond the Xushan territory.

It wasn't that he didn't want to push his luck, but contracts often required both parties to compromise.

This was already the limit of Zuju's patience.

Evidently, the keywords "safety," "northern Tianji Peak," and "transported out of Xushan territory" had all been met, judging the contract complete, and the oath-chain was immediately dissolved.

Zuju's last shackle was thus removed.

How could it not be pleased?

From now on, it could act as it pleased.

Just seven or eight breaths later, Chenyuan emerged from the ground behind it, lunging with bared fangs and claws.

Master Duyun would show no mercy to this turncoat.

"No more fighting, no more fighting!" Zuju said, dodging, "They've already left! If you stop now, I'll tell you their whereabouts!"

Chenyuan ignored it and continued its assault.

Everyone knew this fellow was cunning and might be trying to buy time.

Zuju parried two attacks and cursed loudly, "Master Duyun, are you senile?! What's the point of fighting me? If we keep fighting, they'll really get away!"

The Chenyuan beast opened its mouth, and two figures leaped out, landing on a nearby hill:

"Where did they go?"

Zuju pointed, "They're going to Thousand-Heart Rock. I threw them towards the south of the rock. You can still intercept them now!"

The two figures transformed into streaks of light, swiftly heading south.

"How about a truce?" Zuju then asked Chenyuan, "This *gui* beast isn't easy to control, is it? How much longer can you last?"

It had fought against *gui* beasts more than once before and knew that these monsters always fought purely on instinct. For it to now be so orderly and capable of carrying living beings in pursuit, it was most likely being controlled.

Controlling such a massive beast required immense mental effort every second. Humans simply couldn't sustain it for long.

Master Duyun sneered, "You just don't want to fight Venerable Bai Zhantian, do you?"

Zuju had a decent chance against Chenyuan alone. But what about adding Bai Zhantian, a god who had descended?

And Master Qingyang.

Three against one, Zuju's best course of action would be to avoid battle and burrow deep underground.

"We've been neighbors for how many years, why fight?" Zuju cackled twice. "How about I return your Mountain and River Map as a show of sincerity?"

As soon as it regained its freedom, it elevated its status from the guardian beast of Lingxu City to a neighbor of the gods.

Master Duyun's thoughts were also racing.

The *gui* beast's resistance was growing fiercer, and if he persisted, he risked a backlash. If his spirit were to be exhausted and unable to return to its true form, a perfectly capable Master Duyun would become a mere shell.

He certainly didn't want to end up like that.

Furthermore, if their side didn't make peace with Zuju, and the magma giant continued to cause trouble, what benefit would it bring to the Heavenly Palace, Xushan, or Lingxu City?

The Star-Picking Tower was destroyed, sacred artifacts stolen, and Zuju was a major accomplice. Naturally, the Heavenly Gods and Heavenly Palace were unwilling to let it off so easily. But the events had already transpired, and how to handle the aftermath was most crucial.

This loss, the Heavenly Palace would probably have to swallow, gritting its teeth.

At this thought, Chenyuan ceased its attack, its voice rumbling like thunder: "Come back with me to the Star-Picking Tower and hear the divine will!"

Ultimately, this matter still required the Heavenly Gods to decide.

The crime of accomplice could be settled later, there was no hurry!

Zuju chuckled twice, raising no objection.

To bargain, one needed to find someone with authority. Besides, Master Duyun couldn't control Chenyuan for much longer, so all the negotiation chips were in Zuju's hands.

After soaring for dozens of *zhang* through the air, He Lingchuan suddenly exclaimed, "The direction's wrong, it's the opposite!"

They were clearly supposed to go north to Thousand-Heart Rock, but Zuju had thrown them south—this was the classic case of 'driving north by going south'!

Second Mistress Zhu, still airborne, swiftly shot out spider silk to cling to the tree canopy below, forcefully braking her descent.

It broke four or five trees in a row before finally jumping back to the ground.

He Lingchuan asked the little fire figure, "What's wrong with you?"

Zuju chuckled, "Threw you the wrong way, threw you the wrong way! Just walk a couple more steps."

He Lingchuan calmly said, "Oh," then suddenly grabbed the little fire figure from his shoulder and, before it could react, fed it directly to the Divine Bone Necklace!

"Zuju has betrayed us, it wants to harm us!" He Lingchuan reacted incredibly fast. "Tell Dong Rui to come assist!"

With Zuju turning against them, he couldn't keep the little fire figure around, allowing it to eavesdrop on their plans.

Second Mistress Zhu scurried north on her eight legs, remaining silent for a few breaths as if communicating with Dong Rui.

Then she said, "No, this is saline-alkali land. He says his mount can't cross it."

"Damn it! Then run there."

No wonder trees were scarce here, with even the thickest not wide enough for two people to embrace; the soil must have been poor. Some frogs could live in saltwater, but the Ghost Toad probably wasn't that type. Besides, Dong Rui had created this demonic puppet by combining two creatures, one of which was a giant snail...

How much snails hated salt went without saying, right?

It was unclear whether Zuju did it intentionally or not, but in any case, it caused great trouble for He Lingchuan's escape.

Damn it, that guy really wasn't any good.

The moment the oath-chain was dissolved, the formerly bound parties had no further ties. Zuju instantly turned hostile, and He Lingchuan was sure to retaliate.

The Divine Bone had coveted the fire figure's avatar for days, and now it finally got to consume it.

The good partner who had just fought alongside them immediately broke ties and sabotaged them the moment the oath-chain was broken.

Second Mistress Zhu had lived for thousands of years and had seen all sorts of strange things, so she immediately asked He Lingchuan, "Does it want to betray us?"

"Definitely," He Lingchuan quickly understood the implications.

Zuju was single-mindedly focused on escaping, but it didn't intend to completely sever ties with the Heavenly Palace. Its plan was to assert its power, teach these ungrateful Beijia people a lesson, and then reconcile later.